Hidden Beneath the Flowers
by Kung Fu Kandy
Summary: A girl shows up at Sakura's school. She's beautiful and perfect in everyway. Not to mention, she is always happy. But what is hidden beneath? ~*CHAP 4 UP!! Kinda short but sweet! enjoy!*~!*~
1. First Day of School

Hidden Beneath the Flowers  
  
Hi everyone! I know that people constantly hear this, but you're gonna have ta hear again: This is my first fanfic. My uncle says that you shouldn't have to repeat things to get the point across, so lemme say it again. nah! J/k! I have only ever seen the american version of the show. But I would appreciate any feedback. Comments, suggestions, all are welcome and I will try to write everyone back. ^^ I have created some off the characters in this so please ask before hand if you want to use them, k? thanxs! K, now I gotta let ya read now, right? RIGHT! Byes!  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own them, never have, never will. *sigh* it's so depressing..  
  
K, here it goes! Chapter one!  
  
Oh yeah! Wait!! Hold up!! Stop the presses!!! Hehe..umm. I forgot a key. Darn, stupid, stupid, STUPID!!  
  
*~~~~~* - this is a flashback  
  
----------- - this is a scene change  
  
you should know the rest! K! so here we go for real!  
  
1 The REAL Chapter One  
  
"Ohhhhh..." The little girl slowly tried to open her eyes and gain back her consciousness, only to feel a tremendous amount of pain throbbing through her forehead. "Ahhhh..!" She cried out slightly, but still kept up the struggle for control of her body. Gradually, she gained it and pushed herself up into a sitting postion with her back leaning up against the side of a burnt brown brick wall.  
  
Where am I?" She asked herself. She opened her eyes slightly more than the last time, but her vision was blurred by her pain, or was it by her tears? She was a small child of about 8. Fragile and timid, she seemed very vulnerable. She had shoulder-length light brown hair with hardly noticeable dark blonde highlights. She had no bangs, but sweet, gentle brown eyes the color of rich milk chocolate. They usually shone with happiness and a warm sort of kindness, but now, they could only project images of sorrow, fear, and grief. Around her neck, hung a beautiful necklace with a wondrous ornament on it. The ornament was a solid gold heart about the size of a fifty cent piece. Semi-transparent opal wings were attached on both sides. Centered in the heart was another, slightly smaller heart, this one made entirely out of diamond. And if you looked closely, in the middle of that heart, was a beautifully carved rose.  
  
The little girl, knowing and fully aware that she was completely and utterly alone, curled her knees up towards her chest, put her face down on her kneecaps and cried. Many thoughts ran throughout her brain, but what popped up more often than others: 'What am I going to do now?' *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*  
  
The girl shook her head wildly at these memories. She didn't want to think about them. That had been many years ago. Almost 3 in fact! So why did they keep coming back, reminding her of a huge, constant sorrow. But she knew perfectly well why. She shook her head again, this time successfully removing all her bad thoughts.  
  
She put on her brightest smile and quickly got dressed. If she didn't hurry up and stop dreaming about her past, she was going to be late on her first day of school. She wanted to make a good impression, especially since she knew the cardcaptors were going to be there. Her smile brightened (if possible) and her eyes became happy once more. But this time, it wasn't a happiness that you wore as a shield to protect others from your depression, it was true happiness.  
  
Maybe now she could finally see them again! This thought excited her even more and as she tied her last shoelace, she thought: 'I wonder what the Card Captors will be like! Will they like me? Maybe they won't!! Oh no! What if I..' And her thoughts continued like this until she was halfway to her school.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------  
  
"Oh no! I'm gonna be late!!!," screamed a rushing Sakura. "Why didn't you wake me up Kero?" She questioned as she brushed her hair. Kero sighed loudly.  
  
"SAKURA! I tried to wake you up three times! Remember?" But Sakura was paying no attention. "Bye!," she said, running out of her room and slamming the door behind her. Again, another loud sigh came from the Guardian Beast. "Welp," he said rubging his hands/paws together. "Xylon Warrior, watch out! Here comes the master!"  
  
  
  
"Tori! Wait up!" Sakura was skating hard down the cement sidewalk, desperately trying to catch up to her older brother and childhood crush.  
  
"Sorry squirt. I'm late" Her brother continued to pedal as if she was beside him the whole time. Just as she was fuming and about to yell at him for the squirt thing, Julian spoke up. "Hey Sakura. How are you this morning?"  
  
"Fine thanks!" Sakura replied, giving him one of her greatest smiles. She liked Julian, but it was just in a big brother way. Nothing more. Although, she blushed at the thought, it didn't use to be that way. The rest of the way, they skated/biked in silence, taking in the beauty of each perfectly shaped cherry blossom fall to the ground as the sunlight shined beautifully through the tiny gaps in the tree branches.  
  
---------------------------------------------------------------------------- -----------------------------  
  
"Morning everyone!," Sakura exclaimed brightly.  
  
"Good Morning Sakura!" all of her friends replied back. As she stepped into the classroom. She shut the gray door behind her. "Someone's happy today! Good Morning Sakura!," Madison, Sakura's very best friend and second cousin, greeted her warmly.  
  
"Yeah! Good Morning Madison!," Sakura said. She gave her a smile and set her bookbag and hat on her desk. "So do you know what we are doing today?"  
  
"I don't know. But I heard we got a new student."  
  
"Really?" Sakura gazed at Madison with her head tilted ever-so-slightly to the side. "So I've heard." In walked Li with, as usual, Meilin close behind.  
  
"'Morning Li! 'Morning Meilin!" Sakura said brightly.  
  
"Hmph!" Meilin still didn't like her well. It has been about a month since she transferred to Japan. Li just sighed heavily. He couldn't quite figure out why Meilin had to be so competitive with all the other girls, especially Sakura. He couldn't find anything wrong with Sakura. She seemed to be the kindess of all the girls in class. Not to mention the prettiest. 'I did not just think that!' his little inner voice said. He shook his head lightly and blushed a cute shade of pink.  
  
"Did you hear? Madison just told me that we have a new student today!" Sakura went on. Madison softly laughed to herself at Sakura's complete failure to see Li blush. Her cousin was so naive! But that is probably why so many people enjoy her company and like being around her so much. Li sat down in his chair behind Sakura and set his stuff down in his desk. He was about to reply when Mrs. MacKenzie walked in.  
  
"All right class! Take your seats!" She smiled at the class and continued as soon as everyone was seated and quiet. "Today, we have a new student. Her name is Alycia Love. She is from America so lets be very kind towards her and show her a Japanese welcome." When she finished writing her name on the board she turned to the open door. "Please Alycia. Don't be shy, just come in."  
  
After a moments' hesitation, in walked Alycia. She stepped in and faced the class. She was very beautiful, with a smiling face and a peach complextion. She had light brown, shoulder-length hair with slightly visible blonde highlights. Two, deep chocolate brown eyes that had a special glow in them that gave everyone in her presence a happy, safe feeling. But she also seemed, well, ummm., a little shy.  
  
"Class," Ms. MacKenzie said breaking all of the tension and silence, "Say hello to Alycia." 'Hi's seemed to echo across the room as Alycia stood up front uncomfortably. Her eyes were cast upon the floor. 'Ohhhh..!!,' she whined to herself, 'this is way too intense! I'm sooooo too nervous!' She decided to take her chances and steal a glance at the class. Her eyes lifted ever so slowly up to meet two, very pretty emerald green ones. (Duh, Sakura!) 'That's her!' Alycia's mind seemed to scream as she recognized her aura's power. And the boy behind her must be the other one. She, of course, was referring to Li.  
  
"Alycia, it seems as if you came at the perfect time. Just yesterday, our classmate, Lindsay Rossia, moved away to her father's. So it seems only possible for you to take her seat." With another warm smile of encouragement to the newcomer she motioned to a seat. diagonally across for Sakura and in front of Madison."Go on now."  
  
Alycia nodded her gratitude and proceeded to her seat. She pulled off her hat and laid it and her backpack on the desk. She flashed a quick smile at Sakura and Li before sitting down. She slid her stuff on the floor beneath her chair and carefully took out a pencil. She could feel all the eyes of the children boring into her. Even the teacher was absolutely silent, watching her with increasing curiosity.  
  
Alycia sat there nervously. Her entire body tensed up as she began to lightly tap the eraser of her number two pencil on the desk in a rhythm that only made sense to her ears alone. Still, the class kept their eyes locked on her, almost as if they were waiting for her to do something extraordinary. Either that, or drop dead. She really couldn't tell.  
  
As if waking up from a deep trance, Ms. MacKenzie shook her head and realized she was suppose to be teaching. In the back of her mind, she couldn't figure out what had caused her to stare at the young girl like that. She looked around and discovered that every other available pair of eyes were studying that girl as well.  
  
"Well Alycia.." Alycia's head snapped up to attention in surprise when she heard Ms. MacKenzie's voice startle the other children out of their hypnotic states. Not that it wasn't well welcomed by her nervous system. Ms. MacKenzie clapped her hands together sharply. "In honor of you being here, I suggest.." She stopped talking long enough to hold her pupils' attention. ".that we play a little game." Small cheers echoed off the room walls as Ms. MacKenzie kept her smile on. "Alycia," Ms. MacKenzie turned her bright, golden orbs on Alycia. "Why don't you pick the game we will play?"  
  
Alycia was definitely not expecting that. She made an inaudible gasp and reached for the necklace that was hanging around her neck for comfort. Or should have been hanging around her neck. Her eyes widened and she looked down at her chest, still thinking she might have just missed it. But the necklace wasn't there. She gave herself a hard, mental kick. In all of her haste, she must have left her necklace in its' box. 'Why is every little thing going wrong today!'  
  
"Alycia?" Ms. MacKenzie's question voice rang through her thoughts. She looked up and remembered that she was suppose to be picking out a game. Unknown to the rest of the class was the simple fact that she had never played any games. She might have when she was little, but that would have been before... her. She mentally cringed.  
  
She knew she had to think up something quick. She glanced out of the window quickly. In one glimpse, she took in every detail of what was happening outside. She could tell, the rest of the children were becoming impatient. "Soccer!," she blurted out fast enough to cut off Ms. MacKenzie's next plea for her to hurry. After one last questioning gaze to Alycia, Ms. MacKenzie turned her head to face the rest of the class.  
  
"Soccer it is, then," she exclaimed. Again, another group of cheers rang out. The students began to get up put of their seats at their own paces as the headed for the door, following Ms. MacKenzie, of course. Alycia kept completely still until most of the students had already left. Only then did she begin to stir. Slowly, she raised herself out of her desk chair and walked towards the door alone.  
  
  
  
Sakura watched silently as the new student hoisted herself up and started to leave. It almost made her want to cry. The poor girl seemed so lonely, as if she hadn't a friend in the world. It didn't make any sense to her, though. How could a girl as beautiful and fair as this new one from America have no friends at all? She had to do something to make her feel better. So she did the only thing she could think of.  
  
"Alycia!," she cried out right before Alycia reached the door. Alycia turned swiftly to find the person the voice came from. 'What have I gotten myself into?' Sakura criticized herself as she ran towards Alycia. "Hi! My name is Sakura. Would you mind if I walked with you?," she asked timidly, half afraid of Alycia's answer. Alycia blinked slowly first, as if taking into detail every word that emitted from Sakura's mouth. Then, her face broke into a wide smile. "Of course! I'd love it if you walked with me! I was beginning to feel a bit lonely anyways."  
  
Sakura was taken aback at first. She had expected something like a crude remark, or maybe even a scowl. But definitely not a courteous smile and a polite acceptance. Though it was welcomed by her!  
  
"Great!," Sakura exclaimed. "Let's go! We don't want to be picked last!" With that, she grabbed hold of Alycia's wrist and started to run towards that exit. Alycia ran behind her, keeping up to her pace easily and laughing the whole time.  
  
  
  
"All right everybody, line up in a straight line." The class had made it outside and  
  
were getting ready to pick teams. They were all standing next to each other facing the teacher. Alycia was content to stand next to a fidgeting Sakura. "Do I have any volunteers for team captain? I need two." Seven or nine children raised their hands. After looking over the kids for a few seconds, it seemed that she had made a decision. "Nikki and Zachary," she stated simply. A couple of 'awwww.'s could be heard. "Don't worry, there's always next time." Ms. MacKenzie concluded.  
  
Sakura ended up on Nikki's team along with Sakura as well as an Adam, a Joseph, a Shea, a Keir , a Christian, a Michelle, an Amanda, an Ashley, a Sarah, and a girl named Rita, who seemed to be a close friend of Sakura's. To her surprise, Sakura still hadn't left her side. At the moment, Alycia was conversing with a bunch a Sakura's friends. She really wasn't paying much attention so she decided to check up on the other cardcaptor, whose name she had yet to learn. She pretended to listen to the girl, Amanda, talk while she was looking past her. 'There he is,' her mind told her. She could pinpoint his aura undoubtedly. He wore a scowl on his face as he looked towards another boy. This one had blue hair and glasses. (Eriol) He also seemed to hold a vast amount magic, too. She was so caught up in her mind, that she didn't realize that Sakura had followed her gaze to Li.  
  
"Who are you looking at?," Sakura said quietly, knowing fully well that she was staring at her Li. 'Did I just say my Li?' she thought to herself wildly. Deep down inside, her heart was breaking. She would stand a chance with Li if the brunette beauty beside her liked him. Not to mention Meiling.  
  
Alycia was snapped out of her thoughts once more. 'That seems to happen to me more and more these days' she thought with a smirk. "I'm looking at that brown haired boy on the other team," she said just as quietly, "Do you know his name?" She didn't think it would be possible for her to go around referring to him as 'the other cardcaptor.'  
  
"Oh, that's Li," she answered as she tried to cover up the light blush that began to cover her cheeks each time she said his name. But it was to no avail, because Alycia noticed it right away. Sakura turned her face away from her, then back again. She saw Alycia with a huge grin on her face. "What?" Sakura asked uneasily.  
  
Alycia bent towards Sakura and whispered into her ear. "You like him, don't you?" Sakura gasped. "No! No, of course not! I don't like him. What are you talking about? Hehehe!," Sakura was smiling and rubbing her hand behind her head as a sweatdrop slowly made it's way down her face. Alycia gave her an all-knowing smile. Kind of like Madison's I- know-you- are-lying-and-I-am-always-right smirk, but softer.  
  
"Don't worry. I won't tell." Alycia said calmly. Sakura looked up into Alycia's eyes, they reminded her of chocolate hershey kisses, pure and sweet. For some unsaid reason, she knew she could trust her. But she really didn't want to bring the topic up again so instead she exclaimed: "Let's play soccer!"  
  
So..!! What did ya think? Is it worth it to keep writing? I haven't gotten to the best part yet but I can't tell you everything about it in the first chapter. I'm not sure if anyone will like this. I hope so. It gets better and I'm sure there are somethings, well, ok maybe a lot of things, that you don't understand right now. I'll give the explanation soon. PROMISE! Buh- byes for now! ^^ 


	2. Uh-oh! Busted!

****

Hidden Beneath the Flowers

Hi again! Thought I wouldn't come back, huh? Only in your nightmares! j/k! I decided to continue this fanfic, even if no one likes it! ^^ Remember that all kinds of comments are welcome, but go easy on the flames. If you e-mail me, I'll be sure to try and write you back. Welp, get writing! Thanks for reading! :) And one more thing I forgot to mention. They are still in Japan and everything is happening by the CCS version. I just use the American names (except for Eriol) because they are shorter and easier for me to remember. Sorry for the inconvience! Hehe! ^^'

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own em...., and the I woke up!

Key:

*~~~~~~~* - flashback

--------------- - scene change

Chapter Two

_DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIING_!!! 

"All right class." Mrs. McKenzie set her piece of chalk down and dusted off her hands. She turned to face her students as they put away pencils, paper, and math books. "Have a great lunch!," she exclaimed. "I'll see you all in the afternoon."

While the children were anxiously cleaning up their desks so they could go to the freedom of lunchtime, one little girl sighed deeply. Alycia was in no hurry to go outside. I'll just be alone anyway, so why rush?,' she told herself. She carefully placed her #2 pencil in the ridge on her desk and stood up slowly. She glanced out the window. 

She saw many kids eating their lunches and chatting happily along with their friends. Alycia smiled sadly. "Wonder what it's like to have friends"

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hey Sakura!," the girls all greeted her as she sat down with her usual bunch of friends.

"Hi!" she replied cheerfully. She took as seat next to Madison. Rita, Chelsea, Nikki, and Madison talked away as Sakura neatly unfolded the lunch that her father had packed her early that morning. 

"I wonder where that new girl is. What's her name again?," Chelsea said. She took a huge bite out of her sandwich while waiting for a reply.

"Ummm.... Alycia, I think," Rita answered thoughtfully. "It sounds really strange but very pretty, ya know?"

"Yeah, it would make a great theme for my new ghost story!," Nikki squealed delightedly. 

Sakura's ears pricked up a bit at the word ghost.' She smiled nervously and veared the subject back to Alycia. "I- I re-really wonder wh-where, umm..., A-Alycia is," she barely managed to stutter.

"Yeah, I know. That is really weird." Madison put a finger to her chin in thought. 

"Maybe we should invite her to eat lunch with us. Since she _is_ new here after all" Sakura suggested.

"Great idea, Sakura!" Madison cried. "Go get her! I think I saw her under that tree over there." She pointed in the direction of the tree while the gaze of the other four girls followed her finger. 

"M-me?," Sakura almost choked on her sandwich. That certainly wasn't what she expected!

"Yeah, you! You thought of it!," Chelsea said.

"But- But-," Sakura couldn't think of a feasible excuse.

"Go on." Madison gave Sakura a little push in the direction of the tree at which Alycia under.

"Well, ummm.., okay." Sakura was still unsure of what would happen, but she at least thought she should give it a try.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"hhhhhhhuhhhhhh....," Alycia sighed softly to herself. She was getting no where, she thought to herself. She quickly wiped a stray tear off her face. No!', she scolded herself. She would _not_ cry. She will _not _let _her_, of all people, get the best of her. 

"Ummm...., excuse me." Alycia's head shot up and she turn in the direction of the voice. She looked directly at a beautiful girl her age. She had short, light auburn hair and deep emerald green eyes. Once again, her mind shrieked out to her. _The cardcaptor! There she is!'_

Alycia looked at her with quesioning eyes. "Hi!," Sakura said. "I'm Sakura Avalon. Remember me? We walked to the field toge-"

"Of course I remember you," Alycia interrupted her with a smile. "We were on the same soccer team. Nice goal, by the way!"

Sakura was very taken-aback by Alycia's kindness. She smiled back, though. "Oh, well.... My friends and I wanted to know if you would want to come and eat lunch with us. I really don't want you to be all alone."

Alycia just stared at her for a second. _No one has ever cared whether or not I was alone, except for my brothers._ Just thinking about her brothers made her want to cry. She shook her head and smiled at Sakura.

"I'd love to!," she replied. Sakura helped Alycia gather up her lunch and led her down to the rest of her friends.

"Hi! I'm Madison." 

"I'm Chelsea."

"Nikki!"

"I'm Rita, pleased to meet you!"

Alycia was met with smiling faces. She bowed towards them. "I suppose you all already know my name!," she giggled. "But, if you want, you could call me Ally."

They spent the rest of lunch talking together and joking around. Alycia barely even touched her lunch. She had forgotten how much fun it was just to be with people your own age. But she now remembered how much she loved it.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Sakura! Hurry up!" Sakura was rushing to her lunch cleaned up while the others hurried inside so they wouldn't be late. 

_Ooooohhhhhh..... I should have listened to Madison when she told me to get ready_!' Sakura scolded herself as she bent down to pick up her napkin. She saw another hand already there. She looked up to find its owner.

"Need some help?" Sakura looked up into deep, amber eyes. She blushed lightly. _Those eyes could only belong to one person. Her Li. Wait! Hold up! I did not just think that! _Now she was blushing even more. 

"Ummmm.... I....," she began softly. Not that it even mattered because Li had already begun picking up all of her mess. "Really, Li. It's okay. I can do it." Sakura tried to convince him that she didn't need his help, although she secretly wanted it.

"Yeah right, Avalon. Besides, if I don't help, you re going to be late for class. So stop arguing with me and help," Li said simply. (Wow, Li sure does get right to the point.)

So Sakura listened to him and within thirty seconds, they had everything in the right order. "Thanks a lot, Li," Sakura flashed him one of her best smiles. 

"No problem," Li murmured. If Sakura had looked a little closer, she would have been able to see him blushing. They began walking quickly towards to entrance of their beloved school. "Sakura."

Sakura stopped dead in her tracks. She always did when he said her name like that. He had something important to say to her, she just knew it. She turned her head to look directly at him. "Yeah, Li?"

Li looked back at her. _God, how I love those green eyes. Wait a second... No! No, I don't! I didn't just think that! Snap out of it, Li!_ He looked around to make sure no one could hear what he was about to say except Sakura then back at her. _SNAP OUT OF IT NOW!!_

"Listen Sakura," he began. He could tell Sakura was really paying attention to him by the intent look in her eyes. "That new girl. Have you noticed anything strange about her?"

Sakura just blinked and shook her head. 

"Can't you feel her aura?" Another blink and head shake. Li sighed. "Well, try right now."

Of course, Sakura could tell immediately now that Li had pointed it out to her. She really didn't know why she even bothered because Li was always right. _I'm so glad he's here to protect me...... STOP IT!_

"Yeah, I can feel it now," she told Li shortly after he had asked her.

"I want you to be careful around her, okay?" Li gave her a look of intense concern. She sighed. How could she ever disobey someone that gorgeous. "Sakura?"

"Okay, I promise," she gave in reluctantly with a sigh. She completely loathed the way he could make her do anything he wanted without barely trying, but, then again, she probably wouldn't want it any other way. Too bad he didn't feel the same way about her. She sighed deeply.

"Are you alright, Sakura?" Li was looking at her with concern shinning in his eyes once again. She smiled. 

"Yeah, I'm fine, Li. But thank you for asking!" A light pink blush crept over his cheeks. 

"Sure--," Li stopped in mid sentence. 

"Li, what's wro--" Li immediately shot out his hand and covered her mouth to quiet her. Sakura felt as if she were about to faint in pure bliss. Li slowly brought his hand down, much to the disappointment of Sakura, and signaled to her to keep quiet. He motioned towards the side of the school where two faint voices could be heard. Carefully, Li started towards it with Sakura following close behind.

".....I really don't know how to talk to them, Kera." Now that the two were closer, they could distinctly hear a vaguely familar voice. Sakura knew that she knew who it was but she couldn't quiet place it.

"Well, you could go up to them and ask to speak to them in private." That was a light, airy, feminine voice that niether Li nor Sakura could recognize. The two had now reached the corner of the building. Cautiously, they stuck their heads out slightly to see who the voices belonged to. 

But they saw no one. Nothing at all. Now, she knew that she was not going crazy, but, just to be sure, Sakura asked "Did you hear those two voices just now?"

Li nodded his head, his eyes narrowed, searching every inch of the area they were at. He took a couple steps towards one of the think bushes that lined the fence. Just as he had almost reached them, they bell shrilled throughout the school. Li stopped and stood there, trying to decided what course of action to take.

"Li, let's just go back to class. We might have just been imagining it." She wasn't sure herself if she was imagining it or not, but she was afraid that it could possibly be ghost. And in that case, she wanted to get away from this place as quickly as humanly possible. "Com'on Li. We can't be too late."

Li sighed deeply and gave in. The two of them ran swiftly to their class and had barely taken a step inside to room when the late bell rang. 

Safe!' Sakura thought as she sat down in her seat.

"Have a good day children!" The final bell of the school day had just rung and Ms. McKenzie excused her children. Alycia let out sigh she had been keeping in since after lunch. She had almost been caught. She would have to be more careful, she thought. The two cardcaptors were smarter than she thought, but it pleased her. She loaded everything into her book bag and was one of the last children to leave the class. 

She walked out of the building and saw that that playground was mostly bare. I never knew that kids looked forward to their weekends so much!' Alycia thought. Yes, it was true. She had stupidly transferred in on a Friday. She had never been to a real, public school so she had no idea that Saturday and Sunday were days when class wasn't held.

She stood at the gate in front of the school. She closed her eyes and tilted her head as the wind gently played with each strand of her hair. She inhaled deeply and sighed. She loved the wind because it reminded her of her brother. Alycia opened up her eyes, now glossy with tears threatening to fall. This happened every time she thought of her family. 

She had taken not even two steps to the left of the gate, when she felt a familiar burst of magic. It was coming from the park she had passed by on her way to school that morning. She swiftly turned around on her heels and ran as fast as her legs could carry her.

"Watery! Why are you doing this!?!" Sakura cried. Watery, on its own, had just broke free of its card. Not only that, but she was also fiercely attacking her AND Li. Sakura didn't know how to react. This had never happened to her before. She wished she had brought Kero along with her today. He would know what to do. She and Li were both jumping around, trying to evade the streams of water cannoning towards them every two seconds.

Things were going well. If Sakura could have kept up her jumping and thinking, she might have been able to come up with a plan. Like I said, _if_ she could have kept up. Too bad she didn't. While she was falling back down to the ground, she landed on her left foot wrong and fell on her side. She tried to get up and back on her feet as quickly as she could, but, obviously, she wasn't quick enough.

"SAKURA!!!" Sakura felt a body cover her own. Li held her as close as he could and she did likewise to him. She squeezed her eyes together tightly and prepared for the impact she was sure would come. But, the strangest thing was, it didn't.

"Yamete kudasai!" Alycia ran up in front of the couple from out of no where. And just mere seconds before the tornado of water hit the three of them, a light, transparent red bubble formed around them and created a shield. The water bounced off the shield and headed back towards the watery card. Yet Watery didn't move a muscle. While the water was just three feet away from the card, Watery spread her hands out wide, separating the water into two different streams and laughed as they both landed on either side of her.

In the midst of her laughter, she failed to notice how the new brunette had changed. Her eyes were no longer their friendly brown, but had turned the lightest shade of blue imaginable. So blue, they were almost white. She held her hands in front of her and formed them into a small circle. Her eyes remained open and unblinking.

Sakura and Li had gotten up when they realized they were still alive. No sooner had Li stood up when he noticed another figure standing in front of them. Through his bright amber eyes, he could only get a back view. But it was enough for him to place who it was. I'll worry about that later. Right now, I have to make sure Sakura's okay,' he thought to himself.

He turned to look Sakura in the face, but realized that her gaze was somewhere else. "Sakura?" Li said. He snapped his fingers in front of her face a couple times. "Sakura!"

Sakura eyes popped out for a second before she turned her head towards him. "Li," she began, "that girl. I know her. I know I know her." She looked at the girl in front of her and, to her amazement, she was beginning to glow!

Winds began to sweep towards Alycia from every direction, causing her hair to blow wildly back and forth. She still had her hands in front of her and her eyes were still their pale blue. She rose slightly into the air, so the tips of her toes were still able to touch the ground. Silently, so no could hear except for her, she started to chant in a language unknown to the modern human today. A small ball of light red light formed in the middle of her hands, growing larger and larger until it was about the size of a gumdrop. After a couple seconds, the energy shot out of her hand and hit Watery directly. 

Watery didn't have time to make a move. Not time to make a sound, even. She was there, and then she was gone. Instantly, the little red ball had turned her back into her original card form. The card floated from its position on the ground to the open and waiting hand of Sakura.

"Ummmm.," for a long time, Sakura didn't really know what to say. "Alycia! I can explain! Really, I can! Hehe!" Sakura had just now realized that Alycia, now, must have been somewhat curious about the Clow Cards. What if she tells!' and other questions concerning this topic chased each other around her head. 

"Sakura," Alycia said softly. "I won't tell anyone. I promise." Sakura was just about to reply to her kind gesture, when a startling crash sounded behind them.

"Why, hello there." A truly innocent voice seethed out. A young man about the same age as the rest of the gang was standing about 3 yards away from them. He stood up and took a couple steps forward.

Alycia was going completely stiff. She gritted her teeth together. The pupils of her eyes were turning dark red. Both of her hands were grinding themselves into fists. She looked as mad as sin itself.

"Looking as good as ever, Alycia." He continued on. If he hadn't appeared as pure evil, he might have been absolutely handsome. He had beautiful slate blue eyes and dark, messy hair. Yet, his eyes shown nothing but hatred and destruction. 

"If you do not leave in five seconds, I will tear you apart," Alycia threatened simpily. Tears began to leak from her eyes. Both Sakura and Li feared for the life of this new young man, because they could tell that Alycia meant what she said. And from the awesome display of power she just put on, they didn't doubt her words a bit.

"My, my. Aren't we touchy? I just came by to visit and this is how I get repaid?" His lips curled up into a smirk and a vile laugh escaped. Alycia took a step forward to be in the exact front of Sakura and Li, a protective arm outstretched to guard them. "Now, not so hasty. I'm going right now. But, believe me, I'll see you round. Bye, sekshi." He grinned evilly and vanished right before their eyes in a cloud of purple dust.

"Sakura. Li." Alycia was back to her beautiful self once more and turned to them with pleading chocolate orbs. "I need your help."

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And that's where I leave you! Dun, dun, ddduuuuuuunnnn!!! ^^ hehe! Please read and review it for me!! Pretty pretty ppplllleeeeaaaaassseeee!!!! If you guys have any suggestions, e-mail me or put them in your reviews. PPLLLLLLLEEEZZZZZ!!!! K, the next chapter will be up soon if anyone even cares! Byes! 

Kung Fu Kandy


	3. The Whole Story

****

Hidden Beneath the Flowers

Hi!! OMG! I'm so happy with the few reviews I got so far, that I decided to start the next chapter early. I hope you like it! ^^ And I decided to take SAKURALOVER's advice and use the Japanese names. Sorry for the people who want it the other way!! I'll do my best, though. Oh, and I also changed the rating for swearing. We can't have any children walking up to parents and asking were the hell their breakfast is, now can we? OKAY! Enough of me gabbing, let's get this thing rolling!

Disclaimer: No! ....*sniff, sniff*..... I- I- I-... WAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! I DON'T OWN EM! (sob) 

Key:

~~~~*~~~~ - flashback

Everything else is basically the same!

That's all ya need to know! K, here goes the next chapter!

Chapter Three

The trio had walked silently, led by a nervous, fidgety Alycia. She took them to her apartment to explain her situation in privacy. Meanwhile, Sakura and Syaoran were both wondering what in the hell was going on. They would briefly exchange glances with each other, just to make sure the other knew no more than they.

Alycia guided them to a tall, tan building that stood regally among the other, less fancy buildings. The two awed at it's appearance. They never would have known it was there if they hadn't just seen it. It seemed so out of place, as if it had just plopped out of the sky from NYC and landed there. Beautiful, full red roses surrounded the bottom edges and corners of the apartment. Underneath every window on all eight floors had a small, yet elegant flower box, filled to the brim with an assortment of colorful, blooming flowers. The words Dove Landing' were inscribed in gold, loopy letters over the double, glass door entrance. 

"Follow me, please," Alycia asked timidly. She gently pushed open the door and held it for the couple behind her. Inside, she revealed a wondrous lobby. With it's marble floor and deep red, rolling carpet, it was extremely well kept. To the left was a marble check-in desk with a shiny, copper bell and a neat stack of papers sitting perfectly in the center. To the right was a short, long oak table and two plump, cushiony red chairs to either side. If you followed the carpet from the door straightforward, you would see the gold doors of the elevator with it's bright buttons and a trimmed small potted tree on both sides.

"Do you think I should call Kero?" Sakura whispered softly to Syaoran as they entered, despite her apparent awe at the beautiful room. She had been outlining her light pink cell phone for quiet some time now, debating whether or not to call in the calvary. Mainly, Keroberos the guardian of the clow cards and protector of its' mistress. 

"Kero's services won't be necessary at this time." Both Sakura and Syaoran looked up, surprised. Both had thought only they had heard what Sakura had whispered. Alycia giggled at their half amazed, half curious faces. "I will explain everything in just a few moments. Let's just get up to my apartment." Sakura and Syaoran made no attempt to move towards the elevator at which Alycia was heading. 

"You can trust me," she said, sighing sadly. "I promise. It's not like I'm going to bite your head off or something!" You could see the faint outline of a smile grace her lips. 

Sakura began to walk towards her, but Syaoran, who promises had never meant much to, grabbed her wrist. 

"What?" she said, startled. She looked into his adorable eyes, which were, at this point and time, narrowed and suspicious. (AN: And she found that adorable?) He saw that she truly trusted the girl in front of them and if she could trust Alycia, he could trust Alycia. Without a word, he let Sakura's wrist slip out of grasp and and stood straight up. 

"Let's go, then," he growled. He hated to do it, but he really did believe that Alycia's intentions were true. But still, he had to be very cautious around her, just in case. The two walked up to Alycia who was patiently waiting near the elevator buttons. She pushed one in and a small ding' could be heard. It practically echoed throughout the entire, large lobby. Up until that point, neither Syaoran nor Sakura had noticed that there was not a sound made in the building apart from the three of them.

Before they had time to think of a reason behind the silence, the gold brass doors swung back with a slight click. The three walked into the elevator and Alycia pushed the button meant for the seventh floor. As soon as the doors clicked back together, the familiar and unmistakable elevator music started to play. (AN: Ever wonder how the music is never the same, but never really different? 0.0 It's a conspiracy, I tell you!) 

Alycia began to shake her head back and forth gently to the tempo in the music. Sakura found this somewhat comical and had to cover her mouth so her small laughs couldn't be detected. Too late. Alycia swung around with a wide smile and looked at Sakura. She laughed out loud at Sakura's failed effort to try and hold it in. 

There was the click again as the doors opened back up to reveal a hallway. The trio walked out and another, finally click could be heard as the doors went back together and the elevator made its way slowly back down to the main floor.

The corridor was no less exquisite. It had light blue carpeting and a chair at the end of the hall, almost exactly like the ones downstairs except it was dark blue. Intricate paintings were placed strategically in perfect places. Each door was a creamy, tanish color that blended in with the mixed blue walls and had a shining, gold know handle. 

Alycia walked up to the door marked seventy-seven and produced a key. She fit it into the lock with one hand on the handle and opened the door with ease. She took out the key and walked through. "Come on in!"

After exchanging one last glance, the dou of Sakura and Syaoran walked in.

"It started a long time ago before either of you or I were even thought of." Sakura and Syaoran were comfortably seated in soft chairs around a round breakfast table listening to the melodic voice of their entertainer. Alycia had set out hot chocolate and sweets that looked as if they had just come out of a bakery's oven. Alycia had just began telling them her story. "Clow Reed's idea of the clow cards had only just begun to be thought of."

Sakura nearly spit out her hot chocolate and Syaoran began to choke on his. "WHAT?!?!" They both shouted in unison.

Alycia smiled at the embarassed looks on their faces when they realized they had said the same thing at the same time. They are so cute together!' She just barely held in a delighted squeal. "Yes, I know who Clow Reed is and I know who the two of you are as well so there is no need for an explanation of the water show outside the park." she said with smirk. 

Sakura and Syaoran didn't reply. They just leaned back into their seats and prepared for what they knew would be a long, and interesting, story.

"Like I was saying," she laughed. "A long time ago, Clow Reed got and excellent idea, even before the Clow Cards. He loved children, as I am sure you both must know. But was unable to have any real children of his own. He could love no woman because it would only interfer with his work. Yet, he still longed for them. Then, one day he got a marvelous idea. If he couldn't have his own kids, why not make them? He knew there had to be something he could with the immense amount of magic he possessed. 

"After years of searching through magic book after book, he finally found a type of spell that he could adjust to fit his needs. This spell is unkown, even to me. But it is fact that Clow Ree destroyed it, so that no one else with lesser power or evil intent could use it.

Oddly enough, he began to grow a garden!" Alycia laughed heartily at this point. "He put some sort of spell over it and placed in the garden the pure souls of the elements, one of wind, one of water, one of fire, one of earth, and one.... of love. They were gifts, given to him by the elements themselves when he did something spectacular that I will not mention at this point and time, for it would take too long to do so.

"So everday he went out and watered this garden with a potion made of many things, this is, again, information that cannot be given out to the two of you. The flowers grew to enormous proportions, with five specific flowers growing larger than the others. After nine months of tediously tending his living garden,' the flowers opened up to each reveal a child. Four boys and one girl. Each ones power depended on their flower. The power of fire for the boy of the sunflower and so on.

"Clow Reed cared for them and loved them as his own, not even considering that their extraordinary power attracted the attention of those who could use it in other purposes. And the five children loved each other and Clow Reed dearly. They-"

"What does all of this have to do with you needing our help?" Syaoran tried to be courteous in his way of asking, but he just came across as rude.

"Syao-rrrran," Sakura murmured, elbowing him in the side as she smiled appreciatively towards Alycia. Alycia softly giggled, yet again imaging the two in the future.

"You see," she said, losing all of the cheer that was in her voice a moment ago. "I was one of them. I'm one of the flower children, the child of the rose to be exact."

I guess Sakura and Syaoran had sort of expected this after such a detailed anecdote. But it still came as a sort of shock to them.

"If you are on of the _flower children_, as you say you are, then were are the four other boys. You know, you're brothers?" Syaoran asked. He wasn't quiet sure whether he believed her or not. It was possible that it could all just be some made up tale that she was trying to pull over on them. 

As soon as he had said it, though, he wished he could have swallowed the words back up. Alycia's eyes began to fill with tears, as they did whenever she thought of her brothers.

"We never ex-expected it!" she said between gasps of breath. She was finding it difficult to breathe right and a couple tears slipped rebliously down her cheeks. She hung her head down low, trying to not let them see she was practically having a nervous breakdown.

"Never.... expected...?" Sakura blinked. "Never expected what, Alycia? What happened?" She bented down slightly and pushed the golden brown hair out of her host's face. "Please tell us," she pleaded when Alycia didn't lift up her head to speak.

Alycia sighed heavily. It seemed so much harder than she thought. She straighten her posture and regained as much composure as she could. She inhaled deeply and started to finish what she began to tell.

"We were... so happy together." Her eyes seemed to focus on an image only visible to her eyes. "Maybe, we were a little..." She struggled to find the words to say. "..._too_ happy. Many sorcerers and other beings of magic were envious of our bond with each other. They could take away the world, but we would still be happy. Because, to each other, we were our world.

"One day, we were about eight or so at the time, my brothers and I had just returned from a day of frolicking in the wild flower feilds, showing of our magic in pretend fights as we had seen through Clow's crystal."

She smirked at this thought. "We were so young and so naive. We cared about nothing except each other, Clow, and magic. Like I said, we never expected it." She inspired again.

"We entered our home and knew something was wrong. My brothers warned me to be careful, since I was always the one they looked after..."

~~~~~*~~~~~

"Jishin! Kaze! Kaji! Mizu!! Wait up guys! hehe!" A young, little Ai (known now to you as Alycia) ran giggling down the dirt path to her house, effectively losing the race between them. But once she got up to them, they quieted her. She was puzzled. Why aren't they going in?' she thought. The four boys crowded around the entrance.

"Kaji-" 

"Sssshhhhhhh!!" Kaji answered, covering her mouth with his hand. The stern, paternal-like look he gave her hushed her up instantly. He turned his attention back to the front door and stood quietly. Ai, who was now ver confused, squinted her eyes together and tried to push all of her energy to her hearing. She heard nothing. Nothing at all. She was about to question her brothers again when realization hit her. She heard _nothing._ Nothing. Absolute, complete, not to mention eriey, silence. She leaned her head back towards the door.

Still nothing. One boy straightened his back and held his head high, eyes full of defiance. "Either no one is in there or some one is in there. Let's go inside and see."

"It could be Clowy doing one of his experiments," Ai suggested in her high, childish voice. Clowy was a nickname that they had all been able to call him at one time, but now only Ai called him that, since the boys had grown too big' for silly nicknames.' They five kids walked slowy through the door in single file line with Ai at the back. They took a look around once they had steped inside. Everything was in perfect order. Nothing had been touched or moved. They looked about suspciously, picking up books and papers and looking underneath them. 

"Clowy!?!?" Ai called out. "Are you there, Clowy?" Ai turned a corner and head toward the kitchen where Clow Reed prepared all of his crazy, yet still supposedly edible, concoctions.

"Ai." Ai swirled around on her heel and looked toward the living room where the voice emitted from. "Use your magic. See if we are the only ones in here or not," her brother, Jishin, ordered. Ai nodded her head. Now why didn't I think of that!,' she thought. "But come here first. I don't want you to be by yourself, anyway." Ai sighed. They were always acting superior to her.

She huffed and puffed her way over to them. "Come on, Ai. Don't be that way." She looked up into Mizu's eyes and knew she couldn't stay mad at them. She smiled brightly up at them and nodded her head.

She faced that doorway to the kitchen and closed her eyes together tightly. She gripped her heart necklace in her right hand and concentrated. A light red energy radiated off her small body. She mentally searched through the first floor. Now, she was on her way up the stairs to the-

Ai winced both physically and mentally. Kaze, Kaji, Mizu, and Jishin noticed this and shook her out of her mental journey,' as they referred to them. 

"Ai! Ai! Snap out of it!" Jishin took his sister by the shoulders and shook her back and forth. Ai's eyes snapped open and she gasped in for air. The four boys huddled around her. 

"What? What is it? Talk to us, Ai!" Kaze was growing worried, and when he worried, he became very impatient. "Say something!"

"Some- Something's here!" she whispered raggedly. Her chocolate orbs flew to the steps. "It's dark. Really, really dark!" she was frantically trying to explain what she felt. But, like emotions, it just couldn't be put into words.

"Where is it!" Kaji wasn't asking a question, he was demanding a direction. His green eyes shone with anger. He was very upset that someone had dared to invade his home and scare his only sister. 

"Up-stairs!" Ai tried to take back what she said. She knew it was a mistake to tell him. "NO!! Don't, Ka-ji!" Kaji was already on his way upstaris. 

They other three boys were running towards the stairs. Right before he reached them, Jishin turned around. "Stay here," Jishin commanded before heading after his brothers.

Yeah, right!,' Ai thought, like I would listen any other time!' Besides, she convinced herself as she began up the stairs, she couldn't let them go alone!

Yelps and hollers were heard in the second room on the right. She rushed to it and flung open the door.

A girl her age was in there. Except she was somehow different. Her eyes... they held no kind of affection. They were just..... empty. Yet, this girl sparked a memory in Ai's mind. It was Koi! The girl she had met in the park the other day!! What was she doing here? And why did she seem so changed?

"Koi?" she called bashfully. Koi turned towards Ai's sweet voice. She smiled. A smile Ai didn't really care for. Her eyes widened as she took a step back.

"Run, Ai!" Jishin called. The four boys here tied down to the floor in front of a bed in the room. It was magic holding them down. Ai could tell by the dark, black rings of energy around their wrists and ankles.

"Ai, GO!" Kaze screamed. Ai made no attempt to move. She just looked over at her struggling brothers and knew she couldn't leave them. All the while, Koi was gathering energy.

"Why are you still here?" Mizu yelled. "Leave before she gets you, too!" 

"No." Ai's replied simply. You could literally _see _the fire burning in the centers of her eyes. She summoned her power into a small ball and threw it at the rings. They came off easily. Too easily. Just as she had walked over to her brothers, Koi's energy had turned into a rotating diamond. 

"Why, Koi?" Alycia asked. "What did we ever do to you?" She had tears in her eyes. She looked genuinely hurt, like a small lost puppy.

Koi sneered at them. "Because you have to much power to be happy." She let the diamond drop from the captivity of her hands. "Goodbye." She laughed evilly and disappeared....

~~~~~*~~~~~

"....and that was the very last time I ever saw my brothers...." Alycia's heartwrenching story came to an end here. 

"What happened?" Sakura looked as if she might begin to cry. Alycia's losing her four brothers was like her losing her mother, brother, father, Madison, and Syaoran. She didn't know what she would do in her case.

"Koi's diamond was a potent dark spell. She didn't destroy us, because she did not possess enough power to that to strong magical beings like ourselves. And she knew that, too. So instead, she did the one thing that could truly hurt us."

"What's that?" Li asked quizzically, his head tilted somewhat to his left side, a postion Sakura found most attractive. (^^)

"She separated us. Sent us to different places all over the earth. And it is pretty impossible for five people who have no idea where the other four are to be reunited with them once again. Which is sort of why I need your help." Alycia had one hand behind her head and a sweatdrop slowly made its way down the side of her perfect face.

"Of COURSE, we'll help you, Alycia!" Sakura clapped her hands together sharply in middle of her sentence. "Oh!" Her eyes widened momentarily. "Do you want us to keep calling you Alycia? Or is your really name Ai?"

"My real name is Ai, but you can call me whatever you prefer." Alycia's answer was short and sweet. Although her name was Ai, she had been going by Alycia ever since she was separated from Jishin, Kaze, Kaji, and Mizu. 

"Okay! I think I'll call you Ai, though. I like it so much better!"

"Well, then," Alycia stood up. The hot chocolate was all gone, as were all of the delicious treats she had set out for them. "I guess you two had best be-"

"AaaaaaIiiiiiiiiiiii!!!!" A white something shot from one of the rooms and hit Alycia right in the arm. At first, the trio was alarmed, but Sakura and Syaoran settled down once they heard Alycia's laughter.

"Kira! You silly thing!" She picked the thing' up by its tail and set it in the palm of her hand. Sakura and Syaoran's mouths dropped open, and would have proceeded to hit the floor had it not been physically impossible.

A Kero was standing on Alycia's hand. Except, it wasn't Keroberos himself. It looked exactly like him, only it's little body was a milky white and the tip of its tail and its wings were a luminous golden color. Not to mention the light, airy, melodious voice that could only belong to a female! (Or else some really, _really_ crooked guy! n/o to anyone out there)

"I'm sorry to have alerted you, Ai," the little toy said. Her words came out like music and held a beautiful tune, leaving the dumbstruck Sakura in awe. Now why can't Kero be that poliet and sweet!!' she thought to herself.

"It's okay, Kira. I was just about to introduce you to the Cardcaptors anyway."

"No you weren't." Kira grinned smuggly and crossed her tiny arms in front of her chest, one foot tapping away on Alycia's thumb. "You were just about to see them out." The looked in Alycia's eyes gave it away entirely. "It's okay, though." she said as she stopped tapping and uncrossed her arms. "I just wanted to say goodnight to you."

"Goodnight?" Sakura said skeptically. "Why, it's only..." She whirled around to the fancy cream and gold clock hanging above the wall. "NINE O'CLOCK!!!"

"Oh no, oh no, oh no!!!" Sakura had grabbed her things and Syaoran after a hasty goodbye to Alycia before dashing off to her home. She hadn't realized she'd been gone so long! Oto-san and oni-san are going to be so worried about me! I should have remembered to call!' she scolded herself brutally as she skidded to a stop and swung towards the door, home to two very concerned elders.

Well.......??? What do you guys think so far? I finished this one was soon as I could! Please review it if you read it! If I get some reviews, I'll continue it. If not, I think I might just stop. So please review! I swear it's an interesting story! Please state any comments or suggestions in the review and I will be sure to read them, just like SAKURALOVER'S. Thanxs a lot! Byes!

Kung Fu Kandy


	4. A Nightmare or Revenge?

****

Hidden Beneath the Flowers

hihi! Sorry if this one doesn't come out as soon as the others but you have my teachers to blame for that! ARGH! I cannot _wait_ until my 30 days of school are over! Then it's summer vacation! YAY! I'll be able to write and post chapters quicker in the summer, so you'll just have to wait until then! hehe! Well, I had better get started. Ciao!

Disclaimer: I don't own it, never will, never had, and won't ever. Period. Need I say more? O, and I don't own any of the songs that are in this fic, as well.

Key:

If you don't know that these " " mean speaking, then you're a bit dense, sad to say as well.

Notes: I am going to just begin calling Alycia Ai', just to clear up any confusion. K, with that said, here's.....

ChApTeR 4!

Ai sighed as she plopped herself down onto the couch in her grand living room. With high ceilings and plush, expensive carpet, grand' was almost an understatement. She stretched herself lengthwise and rubbed her temples periodically. Eventually through this, she fell into a dreamless sleep. Okay, so it wasn't really dreamless.....

__

She was running. Running fast to get away from something. But what? As she sensed 

that nothing was behind her she stopped and looked around. She was in a void. 

Everything was utterly and completely black. She backed up a couple steps, but it 

didn't really matter. Everything stayed exactly the was it was. Black. She felt someone 

appear behind her. She whirled around. All of the color drained from her face as she looked into the eyes of her enemy.

"Koi..." she growled. The piercing red eyes gave it away, no matter how much she had aged. Because of the hatred that dwelled in her heart, she looked twice as old our young, jubilant Ai.

Koi just laughed, if that's what you could call it. A hideous noise erupted from the depths of her throat, enough to make Satan himself grimace. Yet Ai remained firm.

"It's your fault, you know" Koi hissed wickedly, a distorted smile donned upon her face. Ai lost her hard stare. Although she wasn't budging, her eyes had a look of sorrow and remorse. Taking this as a cue, Koi slithered menacingly towards Ai, spinning around her and jokingly playing with bits of her hair. "The reason your brothers are gone, I mean...."

Ai sucked in all the air she could manage into her lungs at the image portrayed before her. There were her brothers, all still eight, glaring at her harshly. 

"It's your fault, Ai" they said together over and over again, unblinking and unfased. Ai backed up and tried to turn away, but, unfortunately, Koi was right behind her. Koi grabbed her by the shoulders and forced her back around.

"Look what you did to them." Koi was holding Ai's hands behind her back and whispering threateningly in her ears. "Now is your time to pay..."

Unbiddened hot tears slid down her face in great numbers. Ai couldn't even wipe them away with her hands pinned behind her. They gathered around her nose and underneath her chin. Her breathing became eratic and abnormal. The faces of Mizu, Kaze, Jishin, and Kaji flashed before her, surrounding her. She was barely even aware when she felt Koi's hands slide off her. She was barely aware that Koi's presence had left entirely. She was barely that she was slipping slowly in hysteria. All she could understand, all that was racing through her mind was one simple word. Guilty.

"....no...." she mouthed. She feel to her knees and leaned forward on her elbows. Her words began to form in her vocal cords. Whispers turned into steady words. Steady words began to transform into loud shouts. Loud shouts soon modified into a mixture of screaming and sobbing. "....no... no....no.....No.....No... NO!!!!"

Ai's eyes popped open. She was tangled into the dark burgandy sheets of her bedroom. Kira must have placed her there somehow. Ai took in her surroundings. The pale moonlight streaked in through the little balcony in her room and danced across the dark mahogany dressers. A faint breeze rustled the burgandy, light cotton curtains that draped around the open windows and balcony door. Ai closed her eyes slowly and took a deep breath.

What a horrible nightmare!' she thought. But, even though she tried to deny it, she knew that _that_ nightmare had not been conjured by her own subconcious. Koi had to have had something to do with it. Ai untangled her limbs from the soft sheets and sprawled herself out. She gazed up at the canopy hanging high above her head and tried to find interesting patterns like she would on other nights she developed insomnia. Dried tears began to irritate her skin, but she didn't care. She wouldn't get up right now for the gods themselves. 

She closed her eyes one final time and fell into a **truly** dreamless sleep, thinking about what Mizu, Kaze, Jishin, and Kaji might be doing. 

------------------------

Sakura walked to school leisurely in thought. She was paying absolutely no attention whatsoever to anything in front of her, she was only trying to figure out how she could _possibly_ be able to help Ai. Of course, as her luck would have it, she never noticed that she was coming to the stairs. Right when she was about to go plunging forward, a pair of strong hands held her back. 

"Sakura!" She looked up into the faintly worried eyes of none other than Li Syaoran. He had realized she wasn't going to stop as she went towards the stairs and grabbed her as soon as he could. "Be more careful, would you!" It was more of a request than an order. Sakura just nodded her head as they walked together to school. 

"Okay, class! Settle down." Miss Kaho instructed as she set her brown briefcase down upon the desk. "As you all know, since it is a monday, today we have music first thing."

Ai was sitting in her seat, listening tentatively to every word spoken and every sound made in the classroom. She was very afraid of missing something. She would hate to fall behind.

"Alycia." Ai looked up at Miss Kaho. "Do you have any musical background?" she asked sweetly. Sakura and Tomoyo both exchanged curious looks. It was very unlike Miss Kaho to ask a question like that unless she had a good reason.

Alycia looked confused at the question. "What do you mean?" she asked politely.

"Do you sing?" Miss Kaho was being very patient.

"Yes. I can sing, I guess. I'm not very good at it-" she began, rubbing the back of neck and looking down at her desk. She was interrupted, though.

"Sing." Ai didn't know what to do. She opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, coming off as a gaping fish.

"But I don't have anything to sing!" she said hurriedly as she finally came up with an excuse.

"Sing the first thing that comes to your mind. Please come and stand up here in the front." Miss Kaho moved over and leaned back on her desk, apparently waiting for Ai to come up.

Ai sat still for a minute before sighing and getting up uncomfortably. She slowly made her way to the front. When she got there, she turned to face the class. She looked over uncertainly at Miss Kaho, who's gaze hadn't left Ai. "Whenever you're ready." 

Ai nodded and began to think of a song worth singing. She remembered back to her childhood and smiled as a perfect song began to form in her head. It was a song that was played through the air by her brother, Jishin. The water nymps taught them the song when they were 4 or so, and ever since then, it has remained Ai's favorite song. Sakura, Tomoyo, Syaoran, and the rest of the class looked at her, wondering what to expect. 

Then it seemed that music began to flow into the classroom on the wind. Alycia listened to it, along with a puzzled class, and began to sing.

"I will meet you

In some pla-ce

Where the light lends itself to

Soft repose.

I will let you

Un-dress me,

But I warn you

I've thorns like any rose.

And you could hurt me

With your ba-re hands.

You could hurt me using the sharp end

Of what you say.

But I am lost to you now.

There's no amount of reason

To sa-ve me.

So brea--k me,

Ta--ke me.

Just let me 

Fi-ll your arms again.

Brea--k me.

Ta--ke me.

Just let me

Feel your love again--.

Ai's velvety voice echoed off the walls. Ai must be very modest,' Sakura thought. She sings like an angel.' Most of the class thought the same thing. Her words seemed to bore through them. They listened, spellbounded, as Ai continued to sing.

"Feels like

Be-ing

Underwa--ter

Now that I've

Let go-,

Lost control.

Water kisses

Fill my mouth.

Wa-ter, oh,

Fills my sou--l.

So brea--k me,

Ta--ke me.

Just let me 

Fi-ll your arms again.

Brea--k me, I'll let you

Make me-.

Just let me

Feel your love again--.

Kiss me once.

Well, maybe twice.

Oh--, it never felt so ni--ce.

Brea--k me.

Ta--ke me.

Just let me 

Feel your love again.

Break me, I'll let you

Make me--.

Just let me

Fill your arms again.

Just let me

Feel your lo---ve

a-gain----.

Ai ended on a high note and smiled. She held her breath slightly, hoping that her classmates didn't think her singing too horrible. But she was pleasantly surprised by the sound that most artist crave. She looked over to see her beautiful teacher clapping for her. And soon after, the rest of the class began to clap as well. Ai smiled her graditude towards them and sat down at her seat. 

"Well," Miss Kaho began, "that was beautifully done, Alycia. You'll be joining the choir, correct?" Ai had never even known there was a choir! And if she had, she still wouldn't have tried out for it because she would never make it anyway. What was Miss Kaho? Mad? Or just on that fine line that borders insanity and genius? My bet's on the first' she thought to herself.

Class continued as it usually would. They had a math test that Ai and Syaoran passed easily. But it made Sakura's head spin. There she was, sitting there in a musty old classroom surrounded by people who could probably handle algebra and she couldn't even understand long division! Not to mention that it was right before lunch! She was sure that there must be a loop hole or something that could help her pass! 

Sakura sighed as the numbers on her page began to swirl together into one big mass of blank ink and computer paper. She smiled grimly as she envisioned the downfall of mathematics and numbers alltogether. She turned her attention back to the quiz that lay untouched before her and sighed again. 

She wasn't even to the third problem when that little, annoying bell rang that meant the beginning of lunch. It might as well have been a church bell ringing in a funeral home. Sakura trudged up to turn in her test, preparing herself mentally for the slaughtering she would recieve when she got home.

Sakura hurriedly collected her lunch from her locker and ran outside to meet with 

Tomoyo, Rika, Naoko, Chiharu, and her new-found friend, Ai. She found her cousin waiting with Ai at the door for her. The two were caught up an what must have been an interesting conversation, as they were both giggling and smiling. Sakura slowed down and walked towards them.

"Hey Tomoyo! Hey Ai! Are you two ready to go?" Sakura was now joining the group, creating the trio that the school would soon come to know as normal.

"Hai! Let's go, Sakura-chan!" Tomoyo, Sakura, and Ai began to walk towards their usual lunch spot, which was presently occupied by Naoko, Chiharu, and Rika. 

"Hi guys!" Sakura greeted. The three girls sat down and joined the others girls in their conversation.

"So Naoko, what are you going to do for your birthday?" Chiharu asked between bites of her sandwich. Ai sat down across from Naoko and could clearly see the look of disappointment the plastered itself on her face.

"I'm not allowed to have a party this year because my parents are still upset over last year's." Naoko answered sadly. Sakura thought her parents had good reason, at least. She remembered specificallly what happened at her party last year and shuddered to recall the memory again. Ai, of course, was taking this all into detail. She had such a strange look of thought on her face that she soon attracted the attention of the other five girls. 

"Ai.." Sakura looked at her carefully. She seemed to be contemplating on some idea. "A-iiiiii.........." Sakura put down her sandwich and waved a hand in front of her face. But that accomplished nothing. "AIII!" Sakura called once more. She snapped her fingers right in front of Ai's nose. 

Ai's eyes popped open and she fell back a bit. "Ai? What's wrong? Are you okay?" Sakura asked.

"Yeah, Ai. You looked upset for a minute," Chiharu added.

"Maybe you should see the nurse," Rika suggested and recieved a concerned nod from Tomoyo.

"Oh, no! I'm okay! Really!" Ai waved her hands in front of her face and smiled.

"Are you sure?" Naoko asked.

"Hai! Of course I am!" Ai smiled again. She seemed to have made up her mind on whatever she was considering a minute ago. "Naoko...," she began cautiously. "When is your birthday?"

"Thursday. Why?" was the reply she got.

"Oh, I was just wondering. If you don't mind, you'd be welcome to have your party at my apartment," Ai offered. She knew her proposal had been accepted when not only Naoko's eyes light up, but Chiharu and Sakura's eyes light up as well.

"Would you really?" Naoko asked incredulously.

"Of course! It's not a problem! I'd be happy to!" Ai really didn't mind if the party was held at her place. The only reason she didn't say anything immediately was because she had to make sure the girls would be safe at her house. "All you have to do is come up with the list of people to invite, okay?"

"Oke! Honto ni arigato gozaimas!!" Naoko leapt over to Ai and proceeded to put a death grip around her neck. "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! THANK YYYOOOOOUUUUU!!!!"

"Naoko! She won't be able to hold your party if you strangle her to death!" Madison scolded with a smirk. This could be a lot of fun, she thought. If only she could persaude Naoko to invite three certain boys....

Ai could finally breath again when Naoko release her from her hug'. She laughed at Naoko's eagarness and then went back to eating her lunch. Afterall, they only had about 7 minutes of lunch period left. And she hadn't even finished her sandwich! She continued to inhale her chips, unaware of the pair of eyes studying her from a far.....

*~* hey guys! sry this chapter is soooo entirely short! but i had to shorten it in order to put it up quick enough!! I swear I will make it up to you guys!! Like always, R&R! any comments or such and you can e-mail me, k? Byes!!*~*


End file.
